Freedom To Breathe
There is a certain magic to working with herbalists in finding ways to stay healthy. You get to use plants, or extracts of plants to find a body balance. You’re working with someone who is (hopefully) setting time to really listen to you, someone who isn’t bound by the strict schedule a doctor has to work with. The medicine can be cheap, or even harvested by the person looking for a little bit of healing.
It’s not that people shouldn’t use our medical system. We have amazing ways to test for different issues. Antibiotics, when used appropriately, are a game changer and life saver. If I break a bone, or have a heart attack, you better believe I’m headed to my local hospital.
Both fields, though, have their failings. As anyone can call themselves an herbalist, it can be difficult to choose who to listen to. You can go the route of only trusting herbalists who have gone through specific programs, but that can discount a lot of knowledgeable folks out there. It is also sometimes difficult to get good information on herbs. With some sources being a mix of valuable information, and useless drivel, sometimes an herbalist has to figure out how to deal with a problem as they go.
I am having one of those situations.
I have asthma. Upon contact with the right mix of allergens and weather, my airways become inflamed and have difficulty getting in air. For those of you who have not had the experience, it feels like someone is sitting on your chest, and you can’t expand your lungs enough to get the air you need. The worse it gets, the less air you can get. In severe cases, without medication the asthmatic can die. My first asthma attack was when I was two years old, and it’s been a reoccurring problem ever since. I have gone as long as a year without an asthma attack. Sometimes it’s minor. Sometimes, if I don’t have the medicine I need on hand, I have to go to the ER.
This is one of the cases that is generally left to our general medical system. An albuterol inhaler is used for an asthma attack in progress, while steroids are used as a preventative method. I had tried a few herbal remedies, but for the most part they were relatively useless to someone with moderate to severe breathing problems. The closest I could find to something that helped was a mix of essential oils (peppermint, eucalyptus, tea tree, and thyme, if you are wondering). It would help, but it was in no way strong enough to get me through even a moderate attack.
The problem with the medicine is that not only do I have to jump through the regular hoops to get the prescription written out, they have jumped in price around 2009. This came about due to pharmaceutical lobbying using the movement to protect the ozone as a chance to make more money. It’s an interesting and frustrating story, which you can read about in depth here and here.
I recently had a scare with my inhaler where it looked like I might not be able to refill my prescription in time, meaning that I would have to hit up the ER, and pay the ridiculous bill that would follow. All to be able to breathe. It made me realize how vulnerable I am with this health issue, and how much I depend on the medical system to keep me alive. It definitely inspired me to continue my research about how I can be more self reliant in my medical care.
There is an herb that has shown to be actually useful in asthmatic care. In fact, the active ingredient in my albuterol inhaler is a modified version of norepinephrin, one of the constituents in this herb. It’s called ephedra. There are a few plants in this family that have the needed constituents in varying degrees, but the common one used is Ephedra sinica (Chinese Ephedra, or Ma Huang). At the turn of the century, supplement companies began to promote and sell ephedra, but not as a way to deal with asthma. They noticed that they could use it as a performance enhancing drug and a way to lose weight. While it was effective, the amount that was recommended for use started showing side effects, including possible death. It became enough of an issue that in 2004, the FDA banned sale of products containing ephedrine alkaloids. They didn’t want to deal with dosage safety, or supplement companies making dangerous miracle claims with a plant that needs to be respected.
We still use constituents present in ephedra. Pseudoephedrine shows up in allergy medicine and decongestants (now you know where the name Sudafed came from). Ephredrine and norephedrine, other constituents in ephedra, are still used in medicine. In controlled amounts, it is a helpful medicine. Used indiscriminately, it can be dangerous.
This is where the importance of research and experience come in. While products containing ephredrine alkaloids cannot be sold, the plant ephedra can be sold. Using it isn’t illegal, just selling it for use is. With continued research, and careful care of the plants when I get them, maybe I can find a little extra freedom from a medical system that has an uncomfortable amount of power in my life.
Interestingly, there are three other herbs that might be able to help. One is my all time favorite, stinging nettles (you can find out about it’s energetic properties in my store). It’s a wonderful herbal ally that I have never heard of having any undesirable side effects. It has the reputation as a tonic that will help the body’s response to allergens (amongst many other things). I find that it’s something that I need to take continually to reap any benefits in that department, but its help is there.
The second is a lovely plant called elecampane. It has been used in asthma lozenges in times past, and I find it does minorly help open up the airways. It’s great for someone with a little wheeze, but it is only so useful against major asthmatic issues. It’s a good ally in maintenance and minor issues.
The third is one that I’ve yet to experiment with. Around these parts, we have relative of the famous medicinal mushroom reishi. Reishi has a host of benefits. One of these benefits is helping with lung inflammation. I’ve read about supposed asthma help. I was walking through the woods with my teacher Adhi this past weekend as she stopped at the base of a dead tree. “Hey, that’s reishi!” she said as she pointed out a red, orange, and white glossy shelf mushroom. I picked the gigantic mushroom, gave thanks, and I am presently in the process of chopping and drying. Next step is to make an extraction, and see if it is any help. I can only hope.
Wishing you all a beautiful weekend
The Green Mountain Mage